Assessing the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Strategy in Poverty Reduction in Nigeria

In the past and in recent times, studies have shown government schemes in combating poverty in
developing countries but such efforts have yielded little or no positive results. Consequently, poverty
has been on the increase in such countries. In Nigeria, one of such schemes is NDE that was set up
to address the problem of unemployment and poverty. In several years of its operation, studies have
shown that the problem of poverty is yet to be adequately taken care of. Given this, the present study
intends to assess its activities using data from a secondary source and content analysis as its
methodology. Hence, the paper discusses its objectives, mandates and strategies. It also looks at
some of the achievements of the agency and several challenges hindering her effectiveness. The
paper argues that NDE is a good strategy which can be used to reduce poverty in Nigeria but the
main challenge lies in what could be referred to as the ‘Nigerian factors’ which means negative
attitudes of many Nigerians to achieving national development.